Alarm-system apparatus.



No. 831,634. PATENTED SEPT. 25, 1906. R. P. SPAMER.

ALARM SYSTEM APPARATUS.

APPLIOATIONI'ILED SEPT.23. 1905. A

1 0" n c s a Q Q THE NORRIS PETERS 6a., WASHINGYON, v

UNITE STATES PATEN T OFFICE.

RICHARD FULLER SPAMER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO CONSOLIDATED FIRE ALARM COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ALARM-SYSTEM APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 25, 1906.

Application filed September 23, 1905. Serial No 279.841.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RICHARD FULLER SPAMER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Alarm-System Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in alarm-system apparatus, and particularly to an automatic system for protection against fire or other disturbance.

The object of the invention is to provide simple and reliable mechanism which will automatically send in a trouble-signal to the alarm headquarters in case a local circuit is tampered with, automatically send in a further O. K. signal when the local circuit has been restored to its normal condition, and be ready to repeat the trouble and O. K. signals when necessary. I have further sought to automatically indicate when the mechanism needs rewinding.

The invention consists in improvements the principles of which are illustrated in the accon'ipanying single sheet of drawings. Briefly, it may be said to contemplate an electromagnet in a local circuit; a signal or makeand-break wheel for the main alarm-circuit; a gear-train for driving the signal-wheel, but normally restrained; a cam wheel or drum rotated with the train mechanism operated by the armature of the magnet and coacting with the drum for releasing the train of gears when the local circuit is broken or its current reduced in strength and stopping the train when the local circuit is returned to its normal condition, leaving the instrument ready for another alarm, and means varying the character of the signal after a number of alarms have been sent in.

Figure 1 is a front view of mechanism and normally energized circuits embodying the improvements of my invention. Fig. 2 is a side view of the mechanism, the electromagnet, however, being removed. Fig. 3 is a detail of the governing cam or drum modified for use on a normally open circuit.

A indicates the local circuit, which would be placed in such position as to guard the property desired. B is a battery normally energizing the local circuit. C indicates diagrammatically any suitable form of mechanism for opening the local circuit or for opening a short circuit around a resistance to decrease the current-flow. D indicates an elcctromagnet in the local circuit. It may be mentioned here that this invention may be used on a normally open local circuit by simply redcsigning some of the mechanical arts.

E and F are branches of the main a armcircuit leading to the alarm headquarters.

1 indicates the main shaft of the appara tus, which will be preferably driven by means of a spring in the direction of the arrow.

2 is a gear-wheel mounted on the shaft 1. 3 is a pinion in mesh therewith.

4: is a gear on the shaft of the pinion 3.

5 is a pinion in mesh with gear 4.

6 is a gear-wheel on the shaft of the pinion 5.

7 is a pinion in mesh with gear-wheel 6.

8 is a pallet-wheel on the shaft of the pinion 7.

9 is a pallet-tail controlling the operation of the train.

10 is a pivoted armature member having a pin or projection 11 at its rear end normally engaging a projection 12, carried by the pallettail, and thus holding the mechanism from operation.

18 is a pin projecting from the armature member 10 and normally resting in a recess 14 in one side of the groove 15 in the drum 16.

17 is a signal or make-and-break wheel adapted to cooperate with the terminal 18 to close and open the main circuit through ter minal 19 when rotated.

When the local circuit A is interfered with, the armature member 10 is released and pulled down by the spring 20. The pin 13 rises into the groove 15, at which time the pin 11 stands substantially midway between the projections 12 and 21 011 the pallet-tail, thus allowing the pallet-tail to vibrate and the gear-train to rotate and send in an alarm.

22 is a recess in the outer wall of the groove 15, into which the pin 13 will be pressed by the operation of the spring in case the local circuit remains in the abnormal condition. During the rotation of the drum 16 in this space of time the mechanism is designed to send. in three complete signals.

WVhen the normal condition of the local circuit is restored, the armature 10 is again drawn up, which tlnows the pin 13 down into normally down.

the groove 15 and at the same time brings the pin 11 midway between the projections 12 and 21, allowing the gear-train to rotate. The signal-Wheel 17 will then send in another complete alarm, indicating that the local circuit has been restored to its normal condition. If the normal condition continues, the armature lO'will throw the pin 13 down into the recess 14 as soon as it is reached, again stopping the mechanism.

The same operation will be repeated as often as the local circuit is put in an abnormal condition without requiring any attention or resetting. Since, however, the spring has natural limitations, I have provided means for automatically indicating when the instrument has .begun to run down to such a point as to require rewinding. 23 is a pinion carried by the main shaft, meshing with pin ion 24:. 25 and 26 are gear-wheels driven from pinion 24 and carrying the stops 27 and 28. During the normal operation the movement of the pallet-tail 9 is limited by the full radii of these stops, so that the mechanism has a definitely rapid movement which will remain constant through the sending in of several complete alarms and O. Ks. As the mechanism runs down the stops 27 28, being rotated, present their decreased radii toward the pallet-tail and permit the pallet-tail to gradually lengthen its period of vibration, thus slowing down the mechanism. The sig nals from wheel 17 are therefore sent in much more slowly as these conditions take place, so that the operator at the alarm headquarters is advised of the condition of the instrument and will sent out a man to wind it up.

The governing-drum 16 may be employed when the local circuit is normally open or deenergized. The pin 13 will normally rest in the recess 14 in the outer wall of the groove 15, since the left end of the armature will be When the local circuit is closed and the magnet pulls the armature up, the mechanism will rotate until the recess 22 allows the pin to fall and stop the train. The opening of the local circuit will allow the spring to pull the pin 13 up into the groove 15 and permit the train to rotate until the pin rises into the recess 14, stopping the instrument with the drum in its original position ready for a second alarm and O. K.

29 is a ratchet carried by the shaft 1. 30 is a pawl carried by the gear-wheel 2. 31 indicates a spring connected to the frame of the mechanism and to shaft 1. By this means the shaft 1 may be rewound to tighten the spring and reset the stops 27 and 28 without afiecting the other parts of the transmitting mechanism. The advantages of this will be apparent to those who are skilled in the art.

What I claim is 1. In an alarm-system apparatus, a signalwheel, mechanism for driving said wheel, means for normally restraining said mechanism, an electromagnetic device controlled by a local circuit for releasing said restraining mechanism, and a drum rotatable with said mechanism coacting with said restraining means whereby the restraining means may be released upon interference with the normal condition of the local circuit and remain released during the continued abnormal condition of the local circuit through a part only of the rotation of said drum, and automatically again restrain said mechanism upon the restoration of the normal condition of said local circuit.

2. In an alarm apparatus, a signal-wheel, mechanism for rotating said signal-wheel, an electromagnetic device controlled by a local circuit, means controlled by said magnetic device for normally restraining said mechanism, releasing said mechanism on an abnormal condition of the local circuit, restraining said mechanism after a given alarm has been sent in, again releasing said mechanism upon the restoration of the normal condition of the local circuit, and again stopping the mechanism after a given alarm has been sent in, and permitting said operation to be repeated, and means for varying the character of the alarm sent in after a series of complete abnormal condition and restoration alarms have been sent in.

3. In an alarm apparatus, a signal-wheel, mechanism for driving said wheel, an electromagnetic device controlled by a local circuit, means controlled by said electromagnetic device for releasing said mechanism to permit a given trouble-alarm to be sent in, means for permitting said mechanism to send in a given alarm on the restoration of the normal condition of the local circuit, the operation of said meansleaving said instrument readyfor another trouble-alarm.

4. In an alarm-signal and apparatus, a local circuit, an electromagnetic device controlled thereby, a signal-wheel for making and breaking a main alarm-circuit, a springdriven train for rotating said wheel, means for normally restraining said train controlled by said electromagnetic device, means for opposing the action of said electromagnetic device and causing said train to be released when the control of said electromagnetic device ceases, and means for sending a difierent character of signal over the main circuit after several series of alarm-signals have been sent in.

5. In an alarm system and apparatus, a local circuit containing an electromagnetic device, a transmitting means controlled by 'the electromagnetic device for normally restraining the train, means for releasing the train, sending in an alarm, and repeating said operation, and means for sending a distinctive signal over the main circuit after a series of such operations.

6. Inan alarmsystem and apparatus, a

local circuit, an electromagnetic device controlled thereby, a signal device for making and breaking the main circuit, a springdriven train for driving said signal device, a grooved drum having a recess in its inner wall and a recess in its outer wall, an armature for said electromagnetic device having a member projecting into said groove, and means carried by said armature for normally restraining said train when said projection rests in one of said recesses permitting said train to operate when the pin is drawn out of said recess into said groove, again restraining said train when said pin is drawn into the other recess, releasing said train when said pin is drawn back into said groove, and stopping said train when said pin is drawn into the first recess.

7. In an alarm system and apparatus, a local circuit, an electromagnetic device controlled thereby, main-circuit leads, a signalwheel for making and breaking the main eircuit through said leads, means controlled by said electromagnetic device for rotating said signal-wheel to send in a trouble-alarm, stopping said signal-wheel when the troublealarm is completed, starting the signal-wheel to send in an O. K. signal when the normal condition of the local circuit is restored, and leaving the signal-wheel in a position to repeat the process upon a second interference with the normal condition of the local circuit.

8. In an alarm system and apparatus, a local circuit, an electromagnetic device con trolled thereby, main-circuit leads, a signalwheel for making and breaking the main circuit through said leads, means controlled by said electromagnetic device for rotating said signalwheel to send in a troublealarm, stopping said signal-wheel when the troublealarm is completed, starting the signal-wheel to send in an O. K. signal when the normal condition of the local circuit is restored, and leaving the signal-wheel in a position to repeat the process upon a second interference with the normal condition of the local circuit, and means for automatically indicating by signal sent over the main circuit when a predetermined number of trouble and O. K. signals have been sent from the apparatus.

9. In an alarm system and apparatus, a local circuit, an electromagnetic device controlled thereby, transmitting mechanism controlled by'said electromagnetic device for sending in a trouble-signal over the main circuit when the normal condition of the local circuit is interrupted, means for sending an O. K. signal over the main circuit when the normal condition of the local circuit is restored, and means for stopping the transmitting mechanism in a position ready to send in another trouble-alarm without further attention' 10. In an alarm system and apparatus, a local circuit, an electromagnetic device controlled thereby, transmitting mechanism controlled by said electromagnetic device for sending in a trouble-signal over the main circuit when the normal condition of the local circuit is interrupted, means for sending an O. K. signal over the main circuit when the normal condition of the local circuit is restored, means for stopping the transmitting mechanism in a position ready to send in another trouble-alarm without further attention, and means for sending in a distinctive signal when a series of trouble and O. K. alarms have been sent in.

11. In an alarm system and apparatus, a transmitting mechanism, means for normally restraining said transmitting mechanism, an electromagnetic device for releasing the same, and means for varying the speed of operation of said transmitting mechanism after a series of alarms have been sent in.

12. In an alarm-system apparatus, a main shaft, a main driving-spring connected thereto, a train of gears connected by a clutch to said shaft, a signal device rotated by said train for sending in a signal over the main circuit, means for normally restraining said gears including a pallet-tail, a stop driven from said shaft for varying the time of vibration of said pallet-tail and changing the character of signals sent over the main circuit.

RICHARD FULLER SPAMER.

\Vitnesses:

JOHN C. CANNON, ANNA V. PARKER. 

